Mothering series mixes practicality and pep talks

Cathy Nelson Price

Published 8:00 pm, Monday, September 1, 2008

You've had a successful pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal first few weeks. But baby is now several weeks old, and grandparents and other supporters and well-wishers are back to their own lives. Dad's back at work. You may be, too.

Now what?

"We know how to get new mothers through pregnancy and childbirth, but it's felt like we're dropping the ball as far as helping them out after the baby comes home," said Julie King, of Lactation Management Services in Midland.

King is a certified childbirth educator and doula, who's just finished moderating a discussion group at Midland's Creative Spirit Center titled, "Spirit of Motherhood." She's ramping up again, this time with a new Spirit of Motherhood series at the center, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Like the previous classes, this one will blend book discussion with anecdotal information.

"We'll start off with a discussion of 'Happiest Toddler On the Block,' by Dr. Harvey Karp, with the discussion led by Marisa Thaxter," King said.

The Oct. 14 session will focus on adolescence, with the book, "Get Out Of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall? A Parent's Guide to the New Teenager," by Anthony E. Wolfe, Ph.D. The presenter will be Cathy Krueger.

On Nov. 11, the group will discuss "Ourselves As Mothers; The Universal Experience of Motherhood," by Sheila Kitzinger, with King moderating.

The cost is $10 per class, with registration required three days in advance of each meeting.

"Moms can read the books beforehand if they have time, and come to the session with 'This is what I learned.' But even if they haven't read the book, they'll learn from each other. It's incredibly valuable to have a forum where women come together and talk about things," King said.

She noted that the recently concluded sessions included "women from many backgrounds - homemakers, social workers and engineers from Dow." The diversity enriches and enlivens the discussion, King added, especially when conversation gets down to the most basic question:

What are you doing to cope?

Because today's families don't necessarily have multigenerational support close by, it's important for women at all stages of the maternal life cycle to help each other, King said.

"There are so many cultural expectations of parents, and there are a lot of wonderful books out there as guides," King said. "But we don't necessarily get all of our questions answered. I had one mom in an exercise class I taught say to me, 'I know about exercise. I need a book about hormones!'

"We can't stress enough how much our moms need support from other people, because every new stage of parenting is uncharted territory," King pointed out. "Imagine how empowering it would be to have a room full of 10 or 15 moms who could say, 'We were all there,' or 'Yeah, I remember that!'"

To register for the upcoming Spirit of Motherhood Discussion Series, contact the Creative Spirit Center at 837-1885, or visit the website, www.creativespiritcenter.org